Crimping means for sheet feeding apparatus

ABSTRACT

A conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart closed-looped belts, the upper sides of which carry sheets of paper from a printing device to a sheet-processing machine, is provided with a feed table disposed between the end of the conveyor and the sheet-processing machine. The feed table has a crimping surface upon which the leading edge of each sheet is bent downwardly by a predetermined amount. A pivotally mounted stop member responsive to the position of the leading edge of the sheet momentarily prevents movement of the sheet relative to the crimping surface while a bar member spaced above and parallel to the crimping surface moves to and from the crimping surface to engage the upper surface of the leading edge of the sheet to crimp the same about the contour defined by the crimping surface.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Joachim G. Schmidtlre FOREIGN PATENTS 233 3 Street Clair Shores, Mich- 688,543 3/1953 Great Britain 271/50 [2| 1 Appl No 857,477 Primary Examiner-Joseph Wegbreit [22] Filcd s 12,11969 Assistant Exammer Bruce H. stoner lr. [45] Patented Sept. 7, 1971 Attorney-Hauke, Gifford and Patalidls 4 C M IN ME N [5 g g -g A 5 FOR SHEET FEEDING ABSTRACT: A conveyor having a plurality of spaced-apart 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs. closed-looped belts, the upper sides of which carry sheets of paper from a printing device to a sheet-processing machine, 18 [52] 11.5. C1 271/50 provided with a f d m disposed between the end f the 1 5 5 5 5 B651119/06 conveyor and the sheet-processing machine. The feed table [50] Field of Search 271/50, 53, has a crimping Surface upon which the wading edge f each 5146174537,38,4393/58-3 sheet is bent downwardly by a predetermined amount. A pivotally mounted stop member responsive to the position of [56] References clued the leading edge of the sheet momentarily prevents movement UNITED STATES PATENTS of the sheet relative to the crimping surface while a bar 1,534,125 4/1925 Ludd 93/583 member spaced above and parallel to the crimping surface 2,102,170 12/1937 Stern 93/583 X moves to and from the crimping surface to engage the upper 3,049,076 8/1962 Ritzerfeld et al. 271/53 X surface of the leading edge of the sheet to crimp the same 3,355,166 1 1/1967 Plumb 271/74 X about the contour defined by the crimping surface.

l I l Opp-SET flFO/VZ/A G PAW V751? w Macy/N5 he h I M f l I fifl w PATENTED SEP 7197! SHEET 2 UF 2 l T mw f. MW (/V C TSM N. na j mMB M M w CRIMPING MEANS FOR SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a conveyor unit operative to carry material, such as paper and the like, from a printing unit to a sheet-processing machine, and more particularly to a device which is adapted to bend the leading edge of each sheet downwardly against the surface along which each sheet is carried through the sheet-processing machine.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the related prior art devices, a variety of methods have been employed to deliver sheets of paper and the like from a printer device to a sheet-processing machine, such as a bronzing machine or the like. Such methods usually employ a conveyor consisting of a plurality of closely spaced closed-loop belts guided by conveyor rolls, the upper surfaces of the conveyor belts adapted to receive sheets from the printer device and carry them from one end of the conveyor to the other end where they are received by the input ofthe sheetprocessing machine. To insure that the sheets are not blown from the conveyor before they enter the sheet-processing machine and that the sheets are not retarded in movement and caused to slip out of a timed and prearranged position in their order of travel, the belts have been provided with various means so as to securely hold the sheets onto the conveyor belt as the same travel from one end to the other. Generally, such retaining means consists of a plurality of apertured holes extending through the belts in which a vacuum system is provided to continuously draw air through the apertured portions so as to securely hold the sheets to the upper surfaces of the belts.

Due to the operation of sheet-processing machines, such as bronzing machines and the like, such vacuum devices for securely maintaining the sheets of paper upon the surface on which they are adapted to ride within the sheet-processing machine may not be utilized as the same will interfere with the normal operation of the sheet-processing machine. Since the incoming sheets to the sheet-processing machine are not securely maintained upon the surface on which they are adapted to ride, the sheets tend to billow upwardly from time to time and thus can be caused to slip out of the timed and prearranged position in their order of travel through the sheetprocessing machine resulting in undesirable sheet processing and thus the rejection of the end product. Since the sheets are generally large and undergo considerable processing prior to entry into the bronzing machine, such a rejection of the end product may represent a considerabie loss. Still other sheets may become jammed if not properly received by the sheetprocessing machine. Such jamming of the sheets within the sheet-processing machine can cause tearing and other damage to the sheets, in addition to the undue delay in the production of the final product as the sheet-processing machine will have to be turned off in order to remove the jammed sheets.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a means which will insure the proper receiving of the sheets within the sheet processing machine, yet one which is inexpensive and does not interfere with the operation of such sheet processing machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the preferred embodiment of the invention, which will subsequently be described in greater detail, the operating unit in connection with which the invention is employed is a conveyor table. A printing device delivers the forward or leading edge of its output sheet to the beginning of a group of closed loop belts moving in lines parallel to the direction of the delivery of the sheets. The closed-loop belts which are provided with apertures at regular intervals, are rotated about parallel separated axes disposed in horizontal planes. The upper sides of each belt are adapted to carry the sheets from the printer device at one end to the input or receiving end of the sheet-processing machine at its other end. The lower side of the upper belt moves through an elongated vacuum manifold. The manifold acts to draw in air through the apertures in the belts so as to provide a maximum suction which is exerted on the lower surfaces of the sheets to provide a force of retention to maintain each sheet on the upper surface of the belts in a timed and prearranged position as the same travel across the conveyor table.

A feed table disposed between the end of the conveyor table and the sheet-processing machine is provided with a crimping surface upon which the leading edge of each sheet is bent downwardly by predetermined amount. A pivotally mounted stop member responsive to the position of the leading edge of the sheet momentarily prevents movement of the sheet rela tive to the crimping surface while a bar member spaced above and parallel to the crimping surface is actuated to move downwardly to engage the upper surface of the sheets leading edge to crimp the same along a contour defined by the crimping surface. The bar member is then moved upwardly away from the crimped leading edge and the stop member pivoted away from the sheet so as to permit the transfer of the sheet from the conveyor belts into the receiving end of the sheetprocessing machine. The crimped leading edge of the sheet permits the sheet to be received by the sheet-processing machine in an orderly manner that prevents jamming of the same within the sheet-processing machine and maintains the leading edge closely adjacent the surface as it is moved along reducing the tendency for air to flow under the sheet and cause it to billow.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a conveyor belt for carrying sheets of paper and the like between the printer device and a sheet'processing machine, and in which means are disposed between the end of the conveyor and the sheetprocessing machine for crimping the leading edge of the sheet in such a manner that it points downwardly against the surface along which it is adapted to ride through a sheet-processing machine.

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the accompanying description of one example of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description makes reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a delivery system incorporating a crimping device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the delivery system shown in FIG. ll, illustrating the receiving end of the crimping device;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the output side of the crimping device illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. I- is a transverse sectional view through the crimping device taken along line 4-4 of E16. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electrical and pneumatic circuitry utilized in operating the crimping device illustrated in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, one example of the present invention is illustrated as a crimping device ill) at one end of a conveyor table 12 which is adapted to receive the output of a printer device M. The output of the printer device M takes the form of large sheets of paper to, which travel across the conveyor table l2 and into the crimping device MD for delivery to a sheet-processing machine If The sheet-processing machine 28 illustrated in FIG. i takes the form of a bronzing machine, which forms metallic decoration on paper, however, the crimping device ll llt feeding sheets of paper into the bronzing machine is equally applicable for use with other machines employed in the graphic art industry which operate on separated sheets of material as opposed to material in a continuous roll form. For example, the crimping device may be useful in connection with printing presses, embossing machines and the like. The crimping device may also be useful in connection with machines in other industries which operate on relatively large sheets whether the material of the sheets be of paper or plastic and the like.

The printer l4 regularly feeds out the paper 16, cut in relatively wide sheets of a uniform length. One or more endless conveyor belts 20, which run along the conveyor table 12 and are guided by conveyor rolls 22, 24 are provided to convey the sheets 16 from the printer 14 to the input side of the crimping device 10.

Extending in the direction of travel, the conveyor table 12 has a longitudinal suction trough 28 upon which each of the belts is adapted to ride. As can best be seen in FIG. 2 each of the belts 20 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 30 spaced at appropriate intervals and extending from the upper surface to the underside of each belt 20 and in communication with the suction troughs 28. The suction holes 30 in each of the belts 20 are subjected to vacuum by means of connections 32, 34 which are arranged along the underside of the conveyor table 12 and which are adapted to connect the troughs 28 to a vacuum source 36 (FIG. 1) through control means (not shown) for opening and closing the vacuum supply from the vacuum source 36.

The trough 28 acts to draw air through the suction holes 30 so as to provide a maximum suction which is exerted on the lower surface of the sheets 16 to provide a force of retention to maintain each sheet of paper on the upper surface of the belts 20 as the same travel across the conveyor table 12. The suction force must be low enough to permit slippage of the sheets of paper 16 when movement of the same is momentarily stopped as will be explained hereinafter. Detachment of the paper from the conveyor belts 20 is facilitated by means of the roll 24 which interrupts the vacuum supply as the sheet of paper carried by the belts 20 reaches the end of the conveyor table 12 and is received by a front guide 38 (FIG. 4) at the receiving end of the crimping device 10.;

The front guide 38 is formed at the front end of a feed table 40 (FIG. 4) which runs the full width of the conveyor table 12 and is adapted to receive each sheet and position the same for the crimping operation. Feed table 40 is supported at opposite ends by a pair of stands 42, 44 (FIG. In addition to supporting the feed table 40, the stands 42, 44 provide support for the pneumatic and electrical equipment which operate the crimping device 10 and which will be explained in greater detail hereinafter. i

Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 horizontal bar 46 attached by any suitable means to the upper sides of the stands 42, 44 extends across the receiving side of the crimping device 10 and carries a plurality of adjustable guide bands 48 spaced at regular intervals along the bar 46. The guide bands 48 provide a light biasing force to maintain the incoming sheets of paper 16 flat against the upper surface of the feed table 40 to assure that the sheets of paper enter the crimping device 10 in an orderly manner and are properly positioned for the crimping operation.

On the output side of the crimping device 10 the feed table 40 is provided with a crimping surface 50 (FIG. 4) upon which the leading edge of the sheets of paper 16 are bent downwardly, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 crimping of the leading edge of the sheet of paper 16 is accomplished by means of a crimping bar 52, which is spaced above and parallel to the crimping surface 50 and is adapted to move downwardly to engage the upper surface of the sheet 16 to crimp the same along the contour defined by the crimping surface 50. The crimping bar 52 is provided with a resilient rubber edge 54, which engages the sheet of paper 16 to crimp the same. The resilient rubber edge 54 is utilized to prevent cutting or other damage to the sheets of paper 16 as the same are engaged during the crimping operation. It should be noted that other resilient materials may be utilized in place of the rubber edge 54 to accomplish the same results.

Still referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 a stop member 56 extending the longitudinal length of the crimping device 10 is provided on the output side thereof to stop the transverse movement of the sheet of paper 16 through the crimping device 10 after the sheet of paper 16 has traversed the crimping surface 50 by a predetermined amount. The stop member 56 is pivotally mounted so as to move to and away from the sheet leading edge to momentarily prevent movement of the sheet relative to the crimping surface while the crimping bar 52 crimps the leading edge of the sheet of paper 16. The stop member 56 is actuated by means of a solenoid 58, which is responsive to sensor 60 in a manner to be described hereinafter. Although the particular sensor 60 shown is of a pneumatic type it is apparent that other types of sensing devices could be used as well.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5 the motive force for moving the crimping bar 52 to and from the sheets of paper 16 is provided by a pair of pneumatically operated cylinders 62 and a pair of springs 64. The cylinders 62 and springs 64 are carried in a vertical position in each of the stands 42, 44. The cylinders 62 and springs 64 are operatively connected to the bar 52 by means of an actuating rod 66 which is forcibly shifted downward by the cylinder 62 and upwardly by the action of the compressed spring 64. When pressurized air or any other suitable medium enters the cylinder 62 the force exerted upon the piston member (not shown) of the cylinder 62 moves the actuating rod 66 downwardly and thus the crimping bar 52.

The actuating rod 66 extends upwardly from the cylinder 62 through an apertured flange 68 and the spring 64. The top portion of the actuating rod 66 is provided with a washer and screw assembly 69 to prevent the removal of the spring during use, thus as the pressure acts against the piston member of the cylinder 62 to cause the actuating rod and thus the crimping bar 52 to move downwardly, the spring 64 is compressed to oppose this movement. As will be described hereinafter, when the pressure is removed from the cylinder 62, the opposing force of the compressed spring 64 raises the crimping bar 52 to its initial position above the crimping surface 50.

Referring now to FIG. 5 it can be seen that as the leading edge of the sheet of paper 16 traverses the feed table 40, its presence will be detected by the sensor 60. When the presence of the leading edge of the sheet of paper 16 has been sensed, a signal is sent to a control means 74 which energizes the solenoid 58 to position the front face 70 of the stop member 56 in the path of the sheet of paper 16 so as to momentarily stop the forward progress of the paper 16 and to properly position the leading edge of the paper 16 with respect to the crimping surface 50. As the stop member 56 reaches its desired position, trip switch 76 is actuated and an appropriate signal is sent to the control means 74. Upon receiving the signal from the switch 76, the control means 74 actuates a valve member 78 which is adapted to connect and disconnect a pump 79 or other suitable pressurizing means to the chambers of the cylinder 62 so as to provide a pressurized medium exerting a force against the piston of the cylinder 62 as hereinbefore described to bring the actuating rod 66 and thus crimping bar 52 downwardly to engage the upper side of the sheet of paper 16 and bend the same downwardly. That is, the upper side of the sheet of paper 16 is engaged by the rubber edge 54 (as shown in FIG. 4) along a line that is inwardly spaced from the leading edge and extending substantially the full width of the paper 16. The paper 16 is then bent downwardly a predetermined amount under the force of the crimping bar 52 so that the leading edge of the sheet 16 will point downwardly against the surface along which it is adapted to ride through the sheetprocessing machine 18. As the crimping bar 52 engages and crimps the sheet of paper 16, a switch 80 is tripped to provide a signal for the control box 74 indicating that the crimping bar has engaged the sheet of paper 16. Upon receiving the signal from the switch 80, an appropriate electrical signal is provided to the control valve 78 so as to disconnect the pump 79 from the cylinder 62. Upon disconnection of the pressurized fluid from the cylinder 62 the spring 64, which was compressed as hereinbefore described, will exert a force against the actuating rod so as to return it and the crimping bar 52 to the initial position which was spaced above the crimping surface 50. As the crimping bar 52 returns to its initial position, the same initiates the switch 82 to provide a signal to the control means 74. Upon receiving the signal from the switch 82, the control means 74 deenergizes the solenoid 58 to return the stop member 56 to its initial position, which is such as not to impede the transverse movement of the sheet of paper through the crimping device 10. Upon return of the stop member 56 to its initial position, the conveyor belts 20 will carry the sheet of paper through the crimping device and into the receiving end of the sheet-processing machine 18 for processing thereof.

The sheets of paper 16 delivered from the printing device 14 to the conveyor table 12 and thus to the crimping device 10 are so spaced from one another as to permit a sheet to be stopped, crimped and then passed on to the sheet-processing machine prior to the crimping machine receiving the next sheet of paper 16. It should be understood that the process of stopping the sheet of paper, lowering the crimping bar so as to crimp the paper, raising the crimping bar and lowering the stop member takes place in a relatively short time, thus sheets of paper may be delivered from the printing device to the sheet-processing machine in a relatively short period of time, permitting a high production volume.

Although control means for actuating the crimping bar and the stop mechanism are respectively pneumatically and electrically operated, other means, such as hydraulic means, may be utilized to accomplish the same results.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination with the device for feeding sheets to a sheet-processing machine wherein a conveyor having a sheet supporting upper surface carries said sheets from one end to the other end of said conveyor, said sheet-processing machine being proximate said other end and having a surface thereon for receiving and carrying said sheet therethrough, that improvement which comprises:

means disposed between said other end of said conveyor and said sheet-processing machine for crimping the [cading edge of said sheet to bend it downwardly in the direction of said surface along which said sheet is carried through said sheet-processing machine.

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said crimping means comprises a feed table having a crimping surface at the end proximate said sheet-processing machine; means for momentarily maintaining the leading edge of said sheet in a predetermined position with respect to said crimping surface; and means disposed above the upper surface of said sheet and movable in timed relationship to the predetermined positioning of the said sheet-leading edge so as to crimp the same downwardly with respect to said sheet-processing machine surface.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, including a longitudinal bar spaced above and parallel to said crimping surface, said bar movable to and from said crimping surface to engage the upper surface of said sheet-leading edge, said bar moving in timed relationship to said predetermined positioning of said sheet-leading edge.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 3, including sensing means for determining the position of said sheet-leading edge; and a pivotally mounted stop member responsive to said sensing means for positioning one face thereof in the path of said sensing means for positioning one face thereofin the path of said sheet so as to momentarily stop the travel of said sheet along said conveyor at said predetermined position, said bar being movable to and away from said crimping surface to bend said leading edge downwardly during said momentary stogaping of said sheet. I

The improvement as defined In claim 4, wherein the engaging edge of said bar is of a resilient material.

6. The improvement as defined in claim 5, wherein said resilient engaging bar edge is rubber.

7. The improvement as defined in claim 5, wherein said conveyor is comprised of a plurality of elongated closed-looped belts, the upper side of which is adapted to carry said sheets; and means for rotating said belt so as to move said sheet to said feed table; a plurality of closely spaced apertures formed in said belt, and means for continuously drawing air through the aperture of said belt so as to provide a retention force to securely maintain said sheets on the upper surface of said conveyor belts. 

1. In combination with the device for feeding sheets to a sheetprocessing machine wherein a conveyor having a sheet supporting upper surface carries said sheets from one end to the other end of said conveyor, said sheet-processing machine being proximate said other end and having a surface thereon for receiving and carrying said sheet therethrough, that improvement which comprises: means disposed between said other end of said conveyor and said sheet-processing machine for crimping the leading edge of said sheet to bend it downwardly in the direction of said surface along which said sheet is carried through said sheet-processing machine.
 2. The improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said crimping means comprises a feed table having a crimping surface at the end proximate said sheet-processing machine; means for momentarily maintaining the leading edge of said sheet in a predetermined position with respect to said crimping surface; and means disposed above the upper surface of said sheet and movable in timed relationship to the predetermined positioning of the said sheet-leading edge so as to crimp the same downwardly with respect to said sheet-processing machine surface.
 3. The improvement as defined in claim 2, including a longitudinal bar spaced above and parallel to said crimping surface, said bar movable to and from said crimping surface to engage the upper surface of said sheet-leading edge, said bar moving in timed relationship to said predetermined positioning of said sheet-leading edge.
 4. The improvement as defined in claim 3, including sensing means for determining the position of said sheet-leading edge; and a pivotally mounted stop member responsive to said sensing means for positioning one face thereof in the path of said sensing means for positioning one face thereof in the path of said sheet so as to momentarily stop the travel of said sheet along said conveyor at said predetermined position, said bar being movable to and away from said crimping surface to bend said leading edge downwardly during said momentary stopping of said sheet.
 5. The improvement as defined in claim 4, wherein the engaging edge of said bar is of a resilient material.
 6. The improvement as defined in claim 5, wherein said resilient engaging bar edge is rubber.
 7. The improvement as defined in claim 5, wherein said conveyor is comprised of a plurality of elongated closed-looped belts, the upper side of which is adapted to carry said sheets; and means for rotating said belt so as to move said sheet to said feed table; a plurality of closely spaced apertures formed in said belt, and means for continuously drawing air through the aperture of said belt so as to provide a retention force to securely maintain said sheets on the upper surface of said conveyor belts. 